the Thief and the Butler
by olympianrebel
Summary: Adrien just wants to live a simple life; but with a group forcing him to steal, a demon mark, and a dark past, that doesn't seem possible. (Sebastian x OC)
1. chapter 1

Adrian shivered as he walked down an empty back street, drawing his threadbare coat closer to his body. It didn't do much to ward off the chill of the London morning, and Adrian found himself once again wishing he could just buy a new coat without anyone noticing and getting suspicious. But the thought was quickly shooed away by the young man. If that group got suspicious and raided his place, they'd find his stash, and take everything from him, and then where would he be? In the same place as the multitude of orphans and urchins living on the London streets. He would deal with the cold. It was really nothing, compared to the other trials he'd been forced to endure.

A harsh wind blew, messing Adrian's light brown hair up. He frowned and braved a few seconds of bitter cold to reach up and fix it. It would most likely be mussed up again in no time. Adrian squared his shoulders with a grimace.

The only reason the brunette was out this morning was because that group had contacted him. They had a job for him. Adrian was the best sneak thief in all of London, and unfortunately, that group knew it. The group had no qualms about threatening Adrian into doing their bidding, and Adrian was smart enough to know that they would act on their threats. So here he was, waiting in the bitter cold for one of the usual informants. Hopefully it was Hawk, not Spider.

"Good morning, Ian."

 _Curse my luck._

Adrian spun around and came face to face with the cruel informant. Spider was a terrifying person. He was very tall, and his gray eyes glinted coldly. It was no mystery to Adrian why the 26 year old was called Spider.

"Hello." Adrian greeted, eyeing Spider cautiously. Spider stalked closer with an evil smirk and Adrian took a step back, mark on the back of his neck beginning to tingle. "Stop. You're close enough, don't you think?"

"No." Spider disagreed, coming closer still. Adrian backed up more until he hit the alley wall. The mark stung painfully.

Damn it all.

"Are you here to give me a job or torture me?" Adrian snapped at Spider with false confidence. The informant finally stopped closing in and chuckled.

"You're right. How unprofessional of me." Spider pulled a piece of folded paper from his sleeve and handed it to the younger man. "Here is your job, Ian."

Adrian scanned over the familiar scrawl, then froze and read it again.

 _Phantomhive vault, Markson Bank. Pick up at 11, Thursday. Don't mess up, little thief~_

"Are you people insane?!" Adrian barked, head snapping up to glare at Spider. The older man raised an warning eyebrow, but anger kept Adrian going. "I'll get killed! Or captured!"

"Are you saying you're not good enough to do this? Disappointing." Spider sighed. Adrian scrunched up his nose in an unvoiced snarl.

"It's the Phantomhives." He hissed. "The Evil Earl? Queen's Guard Dog? And you lunatics want me to rob them?! I rather enjoy living, thank you!"

"You can do it or not, makes no difference to me." Spider said with a shrug. He grinned down at Adrian maliciously. "You know what happens if you're not at pickup. Your choice, Ian."

With that, Spider turned on his heel and made quick work of disappearing, leaving Adrian shaking. In anger and because of the cold. His blood red eyes glared at the cobblestones, mind scrambling to find a way out of this mess. But nothing short of leaving London entirely came to mind. Adrian hung his head in defeat.

"Looks like I'm doing it..." He muttered. He straightened up and began walking back to his place, quietly planning aloud.

(눈_눈)

The streets were devoid of normal people, and the alley Adrian was waiting in was as well. The weak light of the partially covered moon slightly illuminated the area, but not enough that someone would be able to see him if they passed by.

Adrian was staring sharply up at a third story window, watching a light come closer. The thief tensed, and when the light retreated, began to scramble up the side of the building, using chips in bricks and the windowsills. In no time, Adrian was silently prying the window open and climbing inside.

The--misleadingly named--'vault' was down the hall, third door on the left from the window. Adrian crept down to it in complete silence, eyes sweeping across the black hallway cautiously. The mark prickled uncomfortably, but not badly enough that Adrian felt the need to turn back.

At the door, Adrian swiftly pulled out his pick locks and set to work on the lock. After a few moments, the lock clicked open and a wave of pain flooded Adrian's body. He lept back, away from the door, and stared at it like a deer would an oncoming carriage. There was something in there. Something very dangerous. Even away from the door, Adrian was feeling stabs of pain.

"No thank you." Adrian breathed, turning and bolting towards the window he had come from. He'd have to take some money from his small funds and tell that group that it was all he could get before guards showed up. Getting roughed up for bringing a small amount was better than facing whatever was in that room.

As Adrian began climbing out the window, a lightning bolt of pain hit him a second before someone grabbed his arm, keeping him from fleeing. The thief gasped at the hot red pain and tried to jerk his arm away. When the grip held firm, Adrian finally turned to face his captor. His wide eyes met with a pair of amused, burning magenta ones.

"Demon!" Adrian gasped, free hand flying up to cover the back of his neck. The magenta eyes, the only thing he could see, narrowed. The thief felt the hand on his arm tighten it's grip painfully. He once again tried to yank his arm away, despite the attempt before's failure. And to Adrian's surprise, the hand let go completely. The thief stared at the magenta eyes in shock as he leaned too far out of the window and began falling.

The fall was a short one, yet it seemed impossibly long at the same time. But no matter how long it took, in the end, Adrian's back slammed into the cobblestone and all air rushed out of his lungs. He gasped pitifully, trying to get any air he could. As he did so, a figure seemed to appear next to him, burning magenta eyes watching almost judgementally. A smaller, more childlike figure joined it, watching coldly as Adrian rolled onto his side and finally sucked in a giant breath, then began coughing.

"Is this really the infamous sneak thief?" The smaller figure scoffed, eyeing Adrian disdainfully. The taller one hummed.

"It would seem so, Young Master. Shall we be taking him to the manor for questioning?"

"Of course. Hurry up, it's chilly out here." The small one turned and walked away, leaving the other figure alone with Adrian. The thief was still one his side, coughing fit over and breathing normally. The magenta eyes scanned him from head to foot. The being sighed, and a dark aura surrounded them and him.

"How bothersome..."

That was the last thing Adrian heard before black overtook him.


	2. chapter 2

Half formed images flashed on the back of Adrian's eyelids, all red. Memories, reminders of fear. Adrian's semi-conscious mind fished for something horrible enough to wake him in a cold sweat, and finally drew out an image of a sneering man and the sound of his voice.

" **Wake, little angel.** "

Adrian's eyes snapped open and he stared down at his own body, almost expecting to see a myriad of injuries. They weren't there. So Adrian turned his eyes upwards, scanning the room he was in and drawing into himself by habit.

The room was dark, small, and--other than him--empty. If he squinted, he could see a wall, and something that might be a door. Adrian himself was tied to a chair, assumingly in the middle of the room. Everything about the set up screamed danger, and the uncomfortable stinging of his mark only solidified the message. Adrian frowned, rolling his shoulders.

He'd gotten captured. Just like he'd told Spider. Damn that group.

Suddenly the maybe-door proved itself to actually be a door by swinging open. Adrian made eye contact with a butler as he held the door open, and a sting of pain followed by a wave of warmth came from his mark. Adrian frowned at the butler. The frown deepened when a fancy young boy with hair so black it was blue walked in. A noble. The look the kid was giving him, like Adrian wasn't any better than the dirt on his shoes, was what gave it away. Any kid could wear fancy clothes. Only a noble could give a look to make you feel like shit.

"You are finally awake." The butler noted in a familiar voice. Adrian's gaze slid smoothly from the kid to the butler and he gave the fakest smile he could muster. His voice rasped as he sassed the butler.

"Brilliant deduction, sir."

The kid noble's scowl became more pronounced as he walked forward, stopping in front of Adrian. The two studied each other. Adrian came up with at least four insults about the kid's eyepatch on the spot.

"Are you the thief that the public has been calling 'Edgar'?" The little noble asked. The tone of his voice was cold, as well as familiar. Adrian's frown became thoughtful. Wait. Was that what the public had been calling him? Where on earth had that come from? "Well?"

"Give me a second." Adrian croaked. He then wrinkled his nose at the sound of the words and cleared his throat. When next he spoke, his voice was clearer. "Give me a second. I haven't a clue what the public calls me."

"I would not think that you would have the guts to make jokes in this situation." The butler hummed. Adrian halfheartedly glared at him. That same stab of pain, then wave of warmth washed over him and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not joking. I don't pay attention to what the high 'n mighty nobles call the fellows robbing them." He snapped. "I'm busy trying to survive day to day, _demon_."

The kid noble's eye widened, and the butler's narrowed. Adrian, after hearing their voices, had realized where they were from. The botched job. The demon who had grabbed his arm, then let him fall; that was the butler. And the kid was the one he'd called Master.

"Where do you get off calling a Phantomhive servant a demon, urchin?" The kid growled. Adrian scoffed.

"Don't try to fool me. I know what he is." He stared at the demon with muted anger. "You let me fall out a window, you bastard. I really, really don't appreciate that."

The demon just smiled lightly, as if the whole thing amused him. On the other hand, his master let out a displeased noise, glaring at his prisoner.

"Sebastian."

In a split second, the demon was at Adrian's side, pressing a gleaming butter knife to his throat. Sharp pricks of pain emminated from the mark. Adrian almost wanted to shout at it. _YES. KNIFE AT MY THROAT EQUALS DANGER. THANK YOU. SHUT UP ALREADY._

"I am going to ask you a few questions," The kid stated coldly, "And if you answer them, you might leave here alive."

Adrian took in a deep breath and considered his options. Cut the rope; it was thick, and the demon would end him before he could stand. Break the chair; demon. Answer the questions... and have a small chance of staying alive, even if in jail. He could escape jail.

"Don't exactly have a choice, do I? Go ahead."

The kid looked slightly pleased. Adrian had the sudden urge to take back his agreement.

"First off, what is your real name?"

"...Ian." He inwardly thanked--though still bitter about it--that group's leader for forcing him to pick an alias. The kid looked to his butler, silently asking if the answer was true. Sebastian smiled slyly but nodded. It was a partial truth, but a truth nonetheless.

"Good. Now, why were you trying to rob our vault?"

Adrian stared at the kid, considering a possible answer. The group would most likely become murderous if they found out that he'd snitched on them. If he got out of this alive, and the group found out, he'd be dead before the week was out. If he told that he was doing it on for his own gain, his death might come quicker.

Adrian always tried to live as long as he could.

"I was forced to." He finally said. "A group makes me rob places; if I try to get out of it, they'll beat me within an inch of my life and take everything I have."

The kid arched an eyebrow incredulously and opened his mouth to ask questions that Adrian was anticipating.

"No, I don't know where their base is and I don't know who the leader is." Adrian droned before the kid could say anything. He got a heated glare. "I do, however, know about two informants, and I could help you catch them."

"Informants, hmm?" The kid took a step forward. Adrian narrowed his eyes, and Sebastian applied more pressure to the knife at his throat. He winced, but mostly at the sparks of pain coming from his mark. "Tell me about them."

"Untie me." Adrian counter-demanded. "I'd be much more likely to help you if I wasn't restrained."

"You will tell me, or my servant will end you." The kid said coldly. "Those are your choices."

"Everybody dies sometime, kid." Adrian shrugged casually. "If you've got another lead, sure, go ahead and do me in. But I'm not saying nothing unless I'm untied."

The kid scanned over Adrian's face. Adrian stared back steely, fully aware of the amused gaze of the demon that had settled on him. This was a big risk. He was betting that this noble kid was interested enough in the group to want to look into it, and that he didn't have any other sources. If he was wrong... Well, he'd been able to do quite a good amount of things in two years of freedom. He'd regret never having found his family, but he'd had a good time since getting out of that place. He'd stayed alive this long, hadn't he?

"Sebastian, untie him."

Adrian blinked at the kid as Sebastian took the knife away from his neck and swiftly cut the ropes. Relief flooded him. His risky gamble had payed off.

The thief stood up from the chair, which made the kid narrow his eyes as if expecting to be attacked, and stretched. He frowned as joints popped. How long had he been tied to that chair?

"Okay. First off," He started, rolling his neck, "Spider. Tall, intimidating, dark hair, dark eyes. He's an informant and a muscle. Thinks he's pretty. Second one is Eagle; he's a small blonde guy, energetic, weird eyes. They look like fractured blue glass."

"That's it?" The kid complained.

"Could you lead us to them?" Sebastian mused. Adrian glanced over his shoulder at the tall demon, frowning thoughtfully, then nodded.

"If you were going to use me to find them, you'd need to do it a certain way, of course." He explained logically. "And if you wanted me to tell you that certain way, I need conditions met."

"You're in no position to demanding things." The kid told him sternly. Adrian crossed his arms.

"You need to stop this group and I just need some... collateral. It's not even that much." He promised. The kid scowled and motioned for him to continue. "All I need is freedom. I help you get these guys, and I don't go to jail. I leave and go back to living peacefully."

"That's all?" The kid asked incredulously as his butler went to his side. Adrian nodded firmly.

"This works for both of us, doesn't it? So what do you say, Phantomhive?"

The kid deliberated on it, studying Adrian. It did work in his favor, and what did he care about what this street rat did, as long as he didn't cause the queen trouble? He nodded.

"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Adrian glanced around the cobblestone alleyway as he led Ciel Phantomhive and his demon bulter in. They were outside of a bar in a rather seedy part of town. Adrian's place was on the second floor, and while he usually would have just gone through the front door, the kid and the fact he had an otherworldly butler would draw too much unwanted attention. Instead, he'd taken them to this alley, and when he was done scanning it for other presences he turned to them.

"I'll be right back." He said shortly before turning and, before the kid could do anything to stop him, scrambled up the side of the building, slipping through a window easily. The window was slammed shut a moment later, like an afterthought. Dread pooling in his stomach, Adrian turned to face his rented home.

It was demolished. Chairs lay splintered, the sheets on the bed were slashed, his few sketchbooks had been torn to pieces, and his charcoal pencils were snapped. Adrian walked, as if in a trance, to the middle of the room. Everything he had worked for had been destroyed... He'd expected it, since Sebastian had told him it was already a day past the pick up, but still. It was hard to look at.

A prickle of Adrian's mark made him tense up, scowling.

"What a mess." Sebastian hummed, stepping around broken furniture. The demon was staring at Adrian's back in amusement. Sebastian found Adrian's distress at the state of his home interesting, in a way. Humans were always so attached to their homes.

"I guess." Adrian muttered, kicking at some rubbish. He took a deep breath to steel himself, then turned to face Sebastian. "Why're you here? I said I'd be right back."

"The Young Lord did not trust you." Sebastian answered conversationally. Adrian's scowl deepened.

"Fair enough." He sighed after a moment, moving away. He went to a panel in the wall and pressed his shoulder against it. When he stepped back, the panel fell. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the money within. It wasn't much, but it was all gold. Adrian grumbled to himself. "They found the satchel... surprised they didn't find this."

"Is that stolen money?" Sebastian inquired, walking up behind the thief. Adrian huffed, scooping up some of the gold and shoving it into a sack he pulled from somewhere on his person.

"Not all the money I have was stolen." He said, sounding extremely offended. "I told you people, I don't steal by choice. All of this is from jobs I've taken."

 _Touchy_ , Sebastian noted. He watched in silence as Adrian gathered the rest of his money and put it in the bag, minus a few coins. The exceptions were hidden away on Adrian himself.

"Let's go." He grumbled, obviously not happy that he was going to be sacrificing his hard earned wages. Sebastian nodded and crossed to the door, opening it and waiting for Adrian. Said male looked at him like Sebastian was crazy. "What do you think you're doing? You can't go out that way."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know if you've noticed," Adrian snarked venomously, "But you are, in fact, way more gorgeous than any man ought to be. You'd attract too much attention. We're going out the window."

"Was that a compliment?" Sebastian asked with a wolfish grin as he followed Adrian to the window. He was under the impression that Adrian still hadn't been wooed by his otherworldly looks, despite the acknowledgement.

"Don't expect any more." Adrian hissed with a glare, pulling the window open. He slid through without another word, dropping down to the cobblestone. Ciel glared impatiently at him as he straightened up. Sebastian was already back by his master's side, thanks to demonic speed.

"Do you have everything you need finally?" The kid asked. Adrian shook his sack and nodded.

"Ready to get started, Phantomhive?"

»«»«»«»«»«»«»«

Adrian paced behind some person's house irritably. It had taken at least two days for him to get in contact with Spider and Hawk, then another to get a response. He had been told to meet here with whatever he'd gotten from the Phantomhive vault. The Phantomhive kid and Sebastian were hidden close enough that the demon would be able to move in at a moment's notice.

A giggle made him stop in his tracks and whirl around. Eagle was standing there with Spider, apparently having snuck up while Adrian was busy worrying. Eagle, ever cheerful, gave an energetic wave.

"Hello Ian!" He greeted, striding forward with Spider in tow. The short man smiled innocently. "I was worried about you when you didn't show up for the pick up! I thought you'd been captured, or maybe that you'd skipped!"

"I was hiding from the goddamn Phantomhives." Adrian snapped, crossing his arms. He was used to the way Eagle acted, and he knew what lay under the façade. No matter how cute he seemed Eagle was still part of that group.

"You could have gotten in contact sooner." Spider piped up, leering. Adrian glared at him heatedly. After all this, he didn't even have to pretend to be annoyed beyond words. He was completely pissed with the whole situation.

"Yeah, and I could've gotten captured too, couldn't I? Can you two shut up and just be happy I brought some money?" The bag Adrian was holding jingled happily as he shook it. Eagle beamed.

"So you were able to get something after all! Angel will be so happy!"

"Yeah yeah." Adrian held out the bag. "Here. Take this to your stupid boss."

Eagle motioned for Spider to take it. The intimidating man snatched it from Adrian's hand, making the coins clink against each other.

"You shouldn't talk about Angel like that, Ian!" The blonde chirped. "He likes you though, so I won't do anything to you this time! Well, we'll see you again, Ian! Bye!"

Adrian watched with a sort of satisfaction as the pair of thugs turned around and started on their way. The feeling grew when, after they'd turned the corner, there was a startled shout.

"Ian." The kid called, signalling for Adrian to stroll down the alley to meet him and Sebastian. Eagle and Spider were on the ground, Spider's unconscious form and Sebastian's foot pinning Eagle down. That didn't keep the small blonde from glaring as Adrian bent down to snatch his sack of money back. His kaleidoscope eyes promised hell.

 _Been there, done that, birdy._

"The rest is up to you then?" Adrian glanced from Sebastian to Ciel. The kid nodded.

"I'd say pleasure doing business with you..." An unsaid 'but' hung in the air. Adrian smiled wryly.

"The sentiment is returned, Phantomhive. Hopefully I never see you again." He gave a sarcastic bow then spun on his heel and made himself scarce. He had things to do, jobs to get, places to sleep to find.

When Ciel looked into the alley a second later, the thief was gone.


End file.
